Microtech Vallotton Chameleon, Serial 170, Dated 4/96
This Microtech Vallotton Chameleon carries serial number 170 and a 4/96 date code, both etched into the blade. Butch Vallotton designed it and Microtech built it in Vero Beach, Florida. The blade is ATS-34, also etched. From across a table it reads as an ordinary manual folder. It is not one.
A release button hides under the tail of the titanium pocket clip. Press the clip and the blade fires. Dual thumb studs open it by hand when you would rather. Blade length is 3.5 inches. Overall length is 8.125 inches. The knife is preowned in excellent condition with its original gold box. It sits with the rest of our automatic knives.
Microtech and the Vero Beach Years
Anthony and Susan Marfione started Microtech in 1994, working out of an apartment and later a storage shed in Vero Beach, Florida. The company now runs out of Western North Carolina. Everything between those two addresses is history that collectors track by date code.
A 4/96 stamp puts this knife roughly two years into that history. Output was small then and every knife carried a serial number. Microtech still hand-sharpens every blade it makes, a habit that started in the Florida shop. See who else we follow on our shop by maker page.
Butch Vallotton and the Hidden Clip Release
Vallotton built his reputation on concealment. Other makers put an obvious button on the frame. He put the trigger where nobody looks, and the Chameleon is the clearest example of that idea reaching a factory floor.
The release sits under the end of the pocket clip. Nothing on the outside of this knife announces what it does. No frame button. No slide. No switch. Squeeze the clip against the scale and the blade launches. Microtech took a custom maker’s mechanism and held it to production tolerances, which is the kind of collaboration our collector’s investment guide tracks.
ATS-34 and Serial Number 170
The blade on this Microtech Vallotton Chameleon is etched ATS-34. That matters more than it sounds. Microtech moved the Chameleon to AEB-L during 1996, and documented 4/96 examples exist in both steels. Serial 170 falls in the ATS-34 group.
The number is also low. A documented 3/96 example sits at 029. Other 4/96 examples run to 200 and 455. By 5/96 the serials reach into the 700s. Number 170 lands in the first stretch of the run. Read how to choose a custom knife for what steel and finish actually do.
The blade is bead blasted in a clip point profile. An unsharpened swedge runs the top edge toward the tip. Jimping cuts a notched thumb rest into the spine. The Vallotton logo sits on the reverse face.
Condition and What’s Included with This Microtech Vallotton Chameleon
This Microtech Vallotton Chameleon is preowned and in excellent overall condition. It was built thirty years ago. The photographs in this listing show every face of the knife at full resolution, so judge it for yourself. The original gold box shows wear consistent with three decades of storage. Read how we grade before you buy.
Included with the knife:
- Original gold Microtech box with the printed oval logo
Microtech Vallotton Chameleon Specifications
Every figure below comes from the blade etch or from authorised dealer documentation of this exact model and date code. Compare it against the rest of our preowned collector knives.
- Maker: Microtech Knives, Vero Beach, Florida
- Designer: Butch Vallotton
- Model: Chameleon D/A (dual action)
- Serial Number: 170
- Date Code: 4/96
- Type: Side-opening double- action automatic folding knife
- Lock: Liner lock
- Deployment: Automatic release concealed under the pocket clip, plus dual thumb studs for manual opening
- Overall Length (open): 8.125 in / 206.4 mm
- Blade Length: 3.5 in / 88.9 mm
- Closed Length: 4.5 in / 114.3 mm
- Blade Steel: ATS-34 stainless, etched on the blade
- Blade Finish: Bead blasted
- Blade Style: Clip point with unsharpened swedge
- Edge: Plain
- Spine: Jimped notched thumb rest
- Handle: Anodized aluminum scales, grey
- Liners: Bead-blasted titanium
- Handle Inlays: Checkered rubber, both sides
- Pocket Clip: Titanium, tip up
- Lanyard: Lanyard hole at the butt
- Blade Markings: Chameleon · Microtech oval · Serial# 170 · 4/96 · ATS-34, with the Vallotton logo on the reverse
- Country of Origin: United States
- Condition: Preowned, excellent
- SKU: 00185-MT-CHAMELEON-DA-ATS34-19960401
- Included: Original gold Microtech box
Video Description: Early Vero, Florida Era Chameleon
The Microtech Vallotton Chameleon, serial number 170, dated 4/96 and shown preowned in excellent condition. This is a dual action automatic folder designed by Butch Vallotton. The blade is 3.5 inches of bead-blasted ATS-34 in a clip point. It carries an unsharpened swedge and a notched thumb rest. The blade etch reads Chameleon, Microtech, Serial 170, 4/96 and ATS-34.
The Vallotton logo sits on the reverse side of the blade. Handles are grey anodized aluminum over bead-blasted titanium liners, with checkered rubber inlays on both sides. A titanium pocket clip carries tip up. The automatic release hides beneath the end of that clip. Dual thumb studs open the blade manually. Overall length is 8.125 inches, closed length 4.5 inches. It ships with its original gold Microtech box.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Chameleon an automatic knife?
Yes. The name refers to the disguise. It presents as a manual liner lock folder with thumb studs, and it opens that way if you want it to. It also carries a spring-driven automatic release concealed beneath the end of the pocket clip. Read the legal notice below before ordering.
Why does the steel matter on a 1996 Chameleon?
Microtech ran ATS-34 early in the Chameleon’s production and moved to AEB-L as 1996 went on. Documented 4/96 examples exist in both. This one is etched ATS-34, which places it in the earlier group within its own month.
How early is serial number 170?
A documented 3/96 Chameleon sits at 029. Other 4/96 examples run to 200 and 455, and 5/96 examples reach into the 700s. Number 170 falls in the first stretch of the run.
What does “Vero Beach” mean to collectors?
Microtech started in Vero Beach, Florida in 1994 and later moved north. Knives from the Florida years came out of a small shop in small numbers. The date code on the blade is what dates them. See how we document provenance.
How does it ship?
It ships insured in its original box. Full terms sit in our shipping and return policy.
Buy This Microtech Vallotton Chameleon
We inspected this Microtech Vallotton Chameleon in hand and described exactly what we found. Nothing here is guesswork. See what else is in from the shop on the Microtech brand page. If early Microtechs are sitting unused in your safe, we will make you an offer when you sell your knife collection.
Automatic Knife Legal Notice
This is an automatic knife. Laws governing purchase, possession, and carry vary by state, county, and municipality.
The buyer must know and follow the laws that apply where they live before ordering. We do not give legal advice. For current state-by-state information, consult the American Knife and Tool Institute.
